Hey, who remembers what happened Sunday? Yeah neither do I

So the Thunder drops a bad one at home to the Clippers. Then heads out on the road – the place they were 8-33 last year – and beats the 7-2 Miami Heat 100-87. That gives Oklahoma City its third straight road win, the first time that has happened for this franchise since 2007. Did we see this coming? Yes and no.

I think it’s clear this team is going to win games. If you picture them at all like last year’s group, just forget it. This is like a Wayne Knight transformation. Like I’ve said, it’s not about hoping to be competitive anymore. That was last year. But it’s also not really about expecting wins. This team is at the point where you expect to have a CHANCE to win. And when you do that, you come out on top a lot of the time.

I know a lot of people are scratching their heads saying, “Why does the Thunder play up and then down to opponents?” My answer: I have no freaking clue. No idea why. But the thing is, this team really has the look of a group that can be .500 or even better. To shake off a bad one from Sunday and go on the road and beat one of the four best teams in the East is no small task. We knew the Thunder matched up well with the Heat, but Oklahoma City dominated this game in the second half. Just owned it.

I’d say everybody gets a game ball, but once again, Thabo Sefolosha was the stud of the evening. Miami relies on mainly one guy to provide their scoring. And that one guy was held to 22 points on 6-19 shooting and turned it over six times. Thabo on the other hands had just two points, but grabbed nine boards, dished out four assists and had four steals. He’s a wrecking crew. He doesn’t just shut down his man. He jumps passing lanes. He helps on every drive. He communicates. This team is amazing on the defensive end of the floor and it all starts with the Swissman.

And before we move on to a couple notes, hey Mr. Radio Host, feel free to yell at Russell Westbrook before every game. He seems to play somewhat well afterward. So yeah, RUS-SEL WEST-BROOK IS NOT A POINT GUARD HE’LL NEVER BE ONE HEAR ME NOW CAL RIPKEN BIG LEAGUE NOM NOM NOM. OK, I’m done now. I had to indulge myself. I’m sorry. (Westbrook’s line: 24 points, 9-13 shooting. seven assists and just two turnovers.)

See this is the thing people need to realize: It’s all about the development. If you’re willing to deal with games like Sunday, you’ll be rewarded with nights like this. And as his career moves on, these nights will become more and more commonplace. Heck, Sunday against the Clips he was actually really good. Last year, a bad night for Russ was 2-14 from the floor, six turnovers and five assists. This year, it’s 17-7-5 and two turns. I like where he’s headed. You don’t just show up in this league and play like John Stockton. You’ve got to work and learn and develop. Not saying Westbrook is going to be Stockton, but if you’re willing to hang with him, I have a feeling he’s going to pay you back with a lot of these nights.

Notes:

The Thunder built a nice 14-point lead in the second quarter, but a questionable out of bounds call led to a 9-0 Heat run. But instead of crumbling and letting Miami take a lead into the locker room, OKC fought and led 45-42 at the half. That’s something that has been huge this year. In the last three minutes of a quarter, the Thunder are closing. Such a 180 from last season.

I honestly don’t know if Kevin Durant hit rim tonight on his makes. Everything was all net. He had another ho-hum 32 on 11-23 shooting, grabbed nine rebounds and had five assists. And he stayed under 40 minutes!

A comment from the Daily Dime chat I found interesting: “I think Westbrook will end up more like a Dumars because he doesn’t have great vision. I think he could be a defensive monster in a couple of years with the ability to score. Something like Dumars or Dennis Johnson.”

Westbrook had nine in the fourth including a monster No No No Yes Yes Yes 3 and Durant had eight. OKC scored 26 in the quarter.

Jeff Green was quiet again in 31 minutes (13 points, two rebounds), but Nick Collison was huge. Ten points, six rebounds for Nick and some key late game defense on Udonis Haslem.

I am asking this while doing my best to not have it come off as complaining: Does any player get as many calls as Dwyane Wade? When I watch him, I honestly wonder why he doesn’t drive the lane and just jump at the rim. He’ll likely get a call. Now Wade is a great player of course, but it just sometimes seems like he gets calls he shouldn’t.

Get used to this because I’m probably going to do it for a while. Last year’s sixth win: Jan. 10. Last year’s fourth road win: Feb. 28.

Do you guys think Jermaine O’Neal’s headband is actually the waistband off a large pair of sweatpants? I do.

One very, very important thing about this game: The Thunder started hot. Not necessarily offensively, but there were no lapses and no hole dug. This time when they put together their patented third quarter spurt, it was to separate themselves from the Heat, rather than claw back in a game. That’s key. Very, very key.

Now OKC travels to Orlando with a guarantee of coming back home at least .500. That feels good. But now I don’t know what to think about Wednesday’s game. This team is going to lose some games that make you want to drop a toaster on your foot, but there will be plenty more nights like this. This team is going places. I’m not sure where that exactly is, but I know it’s in the right direction.

To balance the shot attempt reduction by the defense in my previous comment to the pace - increased turnovers and reduced offensive rebounding we need to add more possessions used at the free throw line.

Thunder Tim :why do we play well against good teams and not so well against mediocre teams?I wonder if PART of it is that the good teams are typically more veteran (thus older) teams, whereas the mediocre teams are less veteran (thus younger) teams. Since we’re relying a lot on effort and hustle and outworking our opponents, I wonder if that attribute is more effective against the older teams (who are perhaps saving themselves for a late-season run) than the younger teams (who are able to match our intensity)?

I don't agree - we dont show the same effort night in and night out . . .

As bad as everyone has thought Westbrook has played so far, his PER is 18.59 this year compared to 15.20 so he has improved a lot and is still only 21. I think people get frustrated cause he has so much potential and everyone expects to see it right away but everyone saw last night how valuable he can be when he has it going

I don't think many younger teams truley match our intensity. I think it has more to do with the team as a whole not preparing for a game against a lower level team the same way. Maybe a lil bit of 'well we don't have to do EVERYTHING right to beat these guys....' Opposed to teams like orlando/miami where you can tell they are very determied to win.

why do we play well against good teams and not so well against mediocre teams?

I wonder if PART of it is that the good teams are typically more veteran (thus older) teams, whereas the mediocre teams are less veteran (thus younger) teams. Since we're relying a lot on effort and hustle and outworking our opponents, I wonder if that attribute is more effective against the older teams (who are perhaps saving themselves for a late-season run) than the younger teams (who are able to match our intensity)?

It was a good win. Russell Westbrook hit his jumpers in the second half, when that happens obviously he's a lot more effective. I take some issue with the comment that a bad game for RW is 7-12 with 7 assists because he had two real big stinkers back to back already this year. There is definite improvement, though. This game could have just as easily been a stinker if he misses those jump shots, if he's going to be taking them he'll need to develop consistency. It's both exciting and frustrating seeing his guy develop but kudos for the performance last night against a good defensive team. I was afraid that he'd implode after the double technical but he maintained his composure; impressive to see from Russ.

Not much else to add that hasn't been covered. Nenad Krstic was invisible on defense inside. James Harden again struggled. Ollie, Thomas, and Collison all played well. Serge Ibaka came in and made two mistakes in three minutes of play. Kevin Durant is a beast. Thabo Sefolosha is a wizard on defense but is 0 for his last 12 from three point range. Jeff Green's getting a bit to perimeter happy, he seems to have success taking the ball closer to the basket.

And once again, I don't think it can be overstated how much Etan Thomas brings to this squad. When we picked him up this summer, I basically expected a guy who could eat up minutes in relief of Krstic and hopefully keep the other teams' big guys from getting easy buckets late in games.

Little did I expect such a defensive presence, nor could I have foreseen that perhaps my favorite 5 man lineup this year would be Russ-Harden-KD-Collison-Thomas. I love the fire Etan brings to our squad, and I really hope he sticks around for the foreseeable future.

@MartzMimic I think we still have to look and see if there is someone we can find for that role, but I think it's becoming less and less of a priority. Frankly, those guys cost a lot of money. And, they aren't as effective at spreading the floor on offense as someone like Krstic is. This is why we beat Orlando, btw. Because they couldn't handle Krstic on the wing. It's kind of iffy so far whether we can depend on him, but when he's at his best, this is a really hard team to stop.

However, if we were to find some young, defensive minded center for a good price, I say go for it, and we can keep him in the rotation. That's one of the things I like about this team - the rotation. We have a lot of different looks we can throw out there, and I really do think it causes some confusion for the other team, not really knowing who our PG is or who our SF is with any given set.

Like someone else said, I'm trying not to get overly optimistic. That said, we're quickly getting to the point where we have to stop prefacing everything with, "it's early in the season, but..."

We're more than a tenth of the way through the season, and the Thunder is one of the top defensive teams in the league. Going into training camp, every team says they're going to focus on defense, but these guys REALLY did it. PJ said it last year, and look how that turned out. Granted, we were only a bit below average defensively, but I can't help but think a lot of that was due to our rebounding numbers. I wonder what the biggest improvement has been, especially absent big moves ala Celtics?

Lastly, at some point, do we have to reconsider our "gaping hole at interior defense," especially when you realize that what we have at center is comparatively costing us little more than a cup of coffee?

Durantula :Playoffs? Playoffs? Playoffs?Seriously though, I think the Spurs and Jazz will pick it up, but I think the Rockets and Kings will drop off. Unless New Orleans turns it around, it seems like we have some kind of shot at the 6-8 seed…

I think the Rockets are consistent - but I think Sac has had an easy time of it so far . . . look for them to drop and for Utah to come up some - I know D Williams has missed a few games . . .

AD :I had to watch this game twice (God bless whoever invented DVR) We have to be patient and understanding on the downs, but boy… when we play well it is a pleasure to watch. I’m full of pride right now… this team represents us… How awesome is that? And I absolutely love RW0’s fire - Dont back down from anyone. Not only that,but he didnt get rattled and play poorly afterwards… in fact, he played really well. That’s a good win right there.

It was a GREAT win!

Defensively, according to my scoring, it was the second best game of the year - the best was against the Lakers . . . we could make the playoffs with a consistent defensive effort!

I say that because the west is weaker this year (Utah and NO are currently not as good as last year - currently being the operative word). . .

Step right up!!! Step right up!! For the mere cost of two bits, you can see a new attraction! It’s the flying Thunder defense! They are all over the place! Hands and feet moving everywhere! You will be amazed! Opponents will be dismayed! Step, step, step right up!!! You have to see it to believe it!!!

Defensive MVP – Thabo Sefolosha (+17)

The guy was a CONSTANT menace to Wade and the entire Heat squad. I had him for two contests, three deflections, 2 forced airballs, and a smooth strip of Wade. That was sweet! He also only committed one error – he gave up penetration (for a score) to Wade (without a pick) only once. That was GREAT defense!

Kevin Ollie (+13)

It was an outstanding job by the second string point guard! He made his presence known immediately upon entry into the contest. After Durant threw a bad pass deep in the left corner, Wade scooped it up and raced up the court. Ollie sprinted back to the middle of the lane to protect the basket. Mario Chalmers received the pass from Wade at the top of the key but couldn’t drive because Ollie was already stationed in the lane – so Chalmers kicked it to Wade who was at that point on the right wing. Ollie then left Chalmers to check Wade. He then contested Wade’s twenty foot jumper; the ball bounced off the rim. That was an excellent defensive trip for Kevin Ollie.

He was omnipresent for the fifteen minutes that he played. He had two steals and picked up two loose balls, but I will write about his reaction when Miami scored a basket in the second quarter. The Heat were running a pick and roll with backup Carlos Arroyo (Ollie’s man) and Jermaine O’Neal (Etan Thomas’ man). O’Neal picked off Ollie and Thomas stayed back: no hedge. Arroyo said “thank you” and hit an easy jumper. You could tell that Ollie was not happy. He held the ball for a few seconds afterwards and stared at Thomas as if to say “what are you doing?” The Thunder was up twelve at the time, but Ollie didn’t care – that was two points that the Thunder needlessly donated to the Heat, and Ollie wanted to make sure Thomas knew about it.

Kevin Durant (+12)

It’s the best defensive game I’ve seen KD play. He amassed an array of steals, deflections, and “contests”. Best of all: NO mistakes!!!!!! That’s impressive given he played forty minutes. He is constantly using his length to harass opponents. He is committed defensively. You can tell.

Etan Thomas (+8)

Jeff Green (+9)

Jeff joined the defensive party as well. Among his positives: three deflections and a steal. Along with Thabo, Ollie, and Durant, Jeff was also great with his rotations.

Nenad Krstic (+3)

Nick Collison (+2)

Serge Ibaka (zero)

James Harden (-2)

Russell Westbrook (-6)

Notes – The Thunder forced the Heat into shooting five airballs.

The best defensive team we have is Ollie, Thabo, Durant, Collison, and Thomas. We got to see it for a few minutes tonight – it was great. Hopefully, we can see this combination some more in upcoming contests,

I had to watch this game twice (God bless whoever invented DVR) We have to be patient and understanding on the downs, but boy... when we play well it is a pleasure to watch. I'm full of pride right now... this team represents us... How awesome is that? And I absolutely love RW0's fire - Dont back down from anyone. Not only that,but he didnt get rattled and play poorly afterwards... in fact, he played really well. That's a good win right there.

I really didn't think Durant would ever play defense as well as he has this year. 7.4 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 0.7 blocks so far, and he was strong again tonight it seems (out of town, no chance to watch more than the last three minutes on the very poor web stream).

We may look back at the Blazers and Lakers game, where KD didn't get it done, as a real blessing. I think it humbled him a bit after an off-season spent anointing him as the next big thing, because his defensive effort is notably better. And at 6'10" with a 7'+ wingspan, he can be a very effective defender. I think it's been a remarkable transformation, and I think it helps explain why the Thunder keep shutting teams down.

Finally a subject I can comment on that isn't all about getting rid of Westbrook! First off Russel showed me something about who he is as a player...no nonsense and never gonna back down from anyone! I loved the fact that a 7 foot guy isn't gonna scare my point gaurd at all and he's not gonna tolerate a bully trying to save face because Chalmers isn't man enough to fight his own battles.

Kevin is soooo smooth it's pitiful, I mean this kid is outta sight! I'm not scared to say that we could be in the playoffs this year. I dunno what's goin on with Green tho, it just seems like he's taking a small step back from the start of the season when he was the one actually keeping us in the game. I feel like the last few games he's been exposed on defense and hasn't been gaurding his man well, maybe it's the match up or something. I think he might watch tape on his games earlier in the season to get a feel for what he was doing well on defense.

On Traber and Westbrook...forget about Traber yelling at him, someone figure out a way to get Jermaine O'Neal to the site of every Thunder game so he can shove Westbrook at least once. Did you see the way Westbrook lit up and went after him before Wade hauled him away? I think he may have channeled that into the rest of the game.

Odd about that play. I think Westbrook misjudged how far the defender was when he lowered his shoulder, and ended up decking him pretty good. But I don't think he meant to level him like that. Then O'Neal responded by starting to hold Westbrook up, but it was like he was thinking, 'hey, this guy just clocked my player and here I am helping him. My teammates might not like that.' So all of a sudden he goes all tough guy and shoves him away. Then Westbrook turned into the Tasmanian Devil before Wade got hold of him.

On Durant, I think he decided that the team wasn't getting off to another slow start tonight. He pretty much picked up where he left off on Sunday. He scores 30 again and we just think, 'average night.' Frightening.

That reach-around steal that Thabo pulled on Wade would have brought pick-pockets everywhere to their feet, clapping. That was marvelous.

Playoffs? Playoffs? Playoffs?Seriously though, I think the Spurs and Jazz will pick it up, but I think the Rockets and Kings will drop off. Unless New Orleans turns it around, it seems like we have some kind of shot at the 6-8 seed...

Anyone else notice where we're at in the playoff standings? I know it's way early, but it's interesting to notice how the season is unfolding for various teams. It's a long time before the end of the season, but maybe that #8 seed isn't so unrealistic after all.

Baron davis broke my heart twice in a few days - first his shot to break us. then he shot 2-10(!) today from 3, making me lose a profitable bet.you can see why russ isnt to blame for davis making that shot - most times - he isnt gonna get it, and its better than giving him the lane!

@KeithAwesome thanks... have to love that Thabo. He is really making Presti look like a super-genius. I love that we can give him the hardest assignment then concentrate on good team defense instead of hunting for ways to double and triple up on opposing scorers.

To me, Thabo is like one of those Ronco "Showtime Rotisseries" - you "just set it, and forget it"

@RoyceI have been saying that about Wade at least since last year, and it was more blatant than a Lindsay Lohan drug habit in the 2006 playoff run. The fact that Durant got the call on that three in the first was HUGE. Wade started getting talk of being a great defender because refs would swallow the whistle on his blatant fouls last year. Durant getting the benefit of that call told me two things: 1) Durant is a star and he'll get the benefit of the doubt on offense and 2) even the terrible NBA refs are tired of giving the game away to Wade at both ends of the floor.

I got the sense that Miami helped us out a bit by missing some easy shots... maybe someone else can fill me in on that. Great win.... another one like that and Hollinger's group man-crush on the Thunder will land them in the top ten Power Rankings.